Background
We got frustrated witnessing the devastation that the haphazard dumping of human waste causes to public health and the environment.
We got tired of seeing broken-down and abandoned wastewater and fecal sludge treatment plants in cities throughout the developing world.
We stopped believing that billing low-income households is the best — or only — way to finance sanitation.
And thus emerged Waste Enterprisers, a registered LLC in Ghana since February 2010.
Our values drive our decisions. We’re committed to forging massive improvements in urban sanitation and to fostering a positive, dynamic, and rewarding company culture.
Team
Ashley Murray
Founder and CEO
Ashley received her PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, and she holds a MS from Berkeley in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Ashley’s expertise is in the design and implementation of reuse-oriented wastewater and fecal sludge treatment systems.
Her professional career comprises applied research, consulting, and entrepreneurship all in pursuit of improving access to complete and reliable sanitation, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. She has several years of experience living and working internationally, including in China, Ghana, and India, in addition to travels across Southeast Asia, Europe and West Africa.
Ashley was named to the 2011 class of National Geographic Emerging Explorers and was a 2012 Fellow at the Unreasonable Institute.
Tim Wade
Chief Operating Officer
Tim earned his MBA from the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program at Colorado State University, graduating Phi Kappa Phi. There he focused on the creation of innovative business models that strive to simultaneously end poverty, restore the environment, and create profits. His professional experience consists of business development, strategy consulting, and international relationship management for pro-poor organizations.
In addition to his professional activities, Tim sits on the Board of Directors of Elephant Energy, a US-based nonprofit addressing the issue of Energy Justice for marginalized communities, primarily in Namibia. Tim has spent several years living and working internationally, including in India, Peru, Bolivia, and Bulgaria, where he completed his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Afua Boateng
Accounts Manager
Afua joined the WE team in October 2012. She graduated from Ashesi University College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She also studied Environmental Issues in West Africa, making WE a great fit for applying her business administration skills.
Afua hails from Cape Coast and Kwahu. Prior to joining WE, Afua interned at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Databank Asset Management Services Ltd, and African Towers Ltd performing a range of functions at each institution.
Laura Stupin
Lead Process Engineer
Laura has spent five years researching and implementing development and energy projects in places including Ghana, Zambia, India, and Borneo. She earned her MSc at the Masdar Institute, which was co-developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is the world’s first graduate institution devoted entirely to renewable energy and cleantech research.
Her experience includes analyzing energy processes for using agricultural-waste biomass to produce heat and electricity in remote Indian villages, and managing an international project to design and manufacture a low-cost safe water tool for communities.
John Reeves Aidoo
Process Engineer
John earned his BSc. (Hon) in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana. Upon graduation he completed his National Service at Adamus Resources Ltd, Nzema Gold Operations, a mining company in Ghana’s Western Region. There, he worked with the Engineering Department as a Field Engineer where he acquired a range of practical experiences to augment the engineering theories he learned in the classroom.
John is a 2011 winner of the Helmut Claas Scholarship-International in Germany, an engineering design award. John is the first prize winner from Ghana and Africa as a whole.
John Rosenwinkel
Process Engineer
John earned his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Olin College in January 2012. While at Olin he focused on sustainable and affordable design and on the fabrication of mechanical systems. He has worked on the development of fuel-efficient biomass cookstoves and ceramic beekeeping equipment for deforested areas of the world and has spent time in India working on a robust two-speed drivetrain for cycle rickshaws.
In addition to his engineering and design work, John has taught bicycle mechanics throughout the past three years as a volunteer and has been involved in environmental activism.
Akua Nkrumah
Process Engineer
Akua earned her BSc in Environmental Science and Technology from the University of Maryland in December 2011. While at Maryland she concentrated on ecological technology design, and played the role of lead researcher for Tseai Energy Unlimited, a start-up business linking agriculture, renewable energy for rural African communities, and social innovation. Her research for them targeted production of biogas and electricity using feedstocks such as palm oil mill effluent and various forms of organic waste.
Upon returning to Ghana, she worked as an associate consultant for water and sanitation at SkyFox Ltd. in Accra, and previously interned for Energy Solutions Foundation – Ghana. She also blogs on environmental issues in Ghana and Africa.
